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Unofficial results late Tuesday showed Democrats winning important local races, with Rep. Joe Morelle defeating Republican challenger Gregg Sadwick.
Nationally, the outcome of the 2024 presidential race and the fight for control of Congress remained unclear two hours after polls closed here, but AP reported that former President Donald Trump was leading Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump had secured 214 of the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.
In Monroe County, Harris received 58 percent of the vote, with 97 percent of districts reporting. Four years ago, Joe Biden won 59 percent; in 2016, Hillary Clinton captured 55 percent of the countywide vote. The county has voted for Democrats in every presidential election since 1992.
Meanwhile, Proposal Number One, the ballot measure also known as the New York Equal Rights Amendment, passed with support from roughly two-thirds of voters statewide.
Congress
In New York’s 25th Congressional District, Joe Morelle was running his fourth race to represent the Rochester area on Capitol Hill. With nearly all votes counted, he had 60 percent of the tally, versus 40 percent for Sadwick, a local businessman. Morelle’s margin of victory was wider than two years ago, when he defeated former Rochester Police Department chief La’Ron Singletary with 54 percent of the votes.
Federal Election Commission reports showed Morelle’s campaign with a big financial edge. The Democrat had raised$2,005,787 from Jan. 1, 2023, to Oct. 16, 2024, far more than Sadwick, who raised $32,720. The Republican also made $610,000 in loans to his campaign.
State Senate
In the state Senate’s 55th District, Democrat Samra Brouk won reelection with 61 percent of the vote; her GOP challenger, Luis Martinez, had 39 percent, with 95 percent of votes counted. First elected four years ago, Brouk won again in 2022 with 57 percent of the tally. Her district covers most of the eastern side of Monroe County and the city of Rochester.
In the 56th District, AP called the race for another Democratic incumbent, Jeremy Cooney, over his Republican opponent, former Gates police chief Jim VanBrederode. Cooney had nearly 59 percent with 89 percent of votes counted. In 2022, Cooney defeated VanBrederode by a narrow 8,000-vote margin. The 56th District includes the western and southern half of Monroe County, including the town of Brighton.
State Assembly
By 11 p.m., AP had called two local state Assembly races for Democratic incumbents and showed two others leading their Republican challengers.
In the 138th District, Democrat Harry Bronson won reelection against Monroe County Legislator Tracy DiFlorio. Bronson had 62 percent versus 38 percent for DiFlorio, with 74 percent of the vote counted, AP reported.
Democrat Sarah Clark won a rematch with Orlando Rivera, winning nearly 69 percent, with three-quarters of votes counted. Clark was first elected in 2020, when she faced no Republican opposition. Two years ago, she defeated Rivera with 66 percent of the vote.
AP showed incumbent Democrats Jen Lunsford and Demond Meeks leading in the 135th and 137th districts, respectively.
County clerk
In the race for Monroe County clerk, incumbent Democrat Jamie Romeo had nearly 57 percent of the vote, versus 42 percent for Republican challenger Peter Vazquez, with nearly 97 percent of election districts reporting.
The Rochester Beacon is providing live vote-count updates here as AP reports them.
Paul Ericson is Rochester Beacon executive editor. The Beacon welcomes comments and letters from readers who adhere to our comment policy including use of their full, real name. Submissions to the Letters page should be sent to [email protected].
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